Let Us Sing to the Lord!

            Part of the Divine Office is the daily declaration of Psalm 95, which begins with an exultation to praise God: Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before God’s presence with thanksgiving; and raise to the Lord a shout with psalms.

         I recently pondered: when do we do that?

         Aside from the singing part - which may happen now in showers and in cars, but not in gatherings...  How often do we sing praises to God? When was the last time we shouted for joy as a result of God's presence in your life?

         Admittedly - if we started to take this literally, our neighbours may think we're *really* not handling the health restrictions well.

         But... music is a reality in our lives. People sing, or hum, just about anywhere. This week I heard others singing at the grocery store, at the office, in their gardens, at the park... I know I was singing in the car, and while walking the dogs, and...

         We sing. And so we have the chance to sing our prayers. For that is what psalms are: poetic prayers intended to be sung, as celebrations or laments on holy occasions.

         The beauty of this is: any day can be a holy day, when we decide to honour God. I think this is why Psalm 95 starts our morning prayer - encouraging a daily orientation to praise with song, that gift that combines both abstract and concrete thinking. It is said "the one who sings, prays twice" - perhaps we can start our day then, even if alone in the shower, with a song in our heart and a psalm in our minds.

         So: Come, let us bow down and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. ... Oh, that today we would hearken to your voice!